


Reality Undefined: The Forgotten Magicks

by PurpleZelos



Series: Reality Undefined [2]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dungeons & Dragons, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Dungeons & Dragons Campaign, Dungeons & Dragons References, Fantastic, Fantasy, Gen, Gods, High Fantasy, Magic, Magic-Users, Prologue, Short, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:41:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23775514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleZelos/pseuds/PurpleZelos
Summary: After his coming of age ceremony goes wrong, a young geitlan must struggle to find his place in a great magical struggle full of betrayal and magic
Series: Reality Undefined [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686217





	1. A New Goat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Young Bronn has finally come of age and will receive his adult name and place in his village. However, fate takes a turn of the worst when a nearby human city learns of them

“They’re here, I know it.”

“Are you  _ positive _ , Rolan? We’ve been out here for nearly a day now, we should head back.”

The tall man turns to his shorter friend. “Dyl, I swear to the Gods, if you make me turn back again because you thought you saw another monster, I’m going to kill you.”

Dyl swallows, shirkining back. While he knew that once Rolan had his mind set on something there was little chance of stopping him, he was not comfortable wandering the mountains this late in the evening. “H-Hey I really thought I saw that dire bear! You never know what’s crawling around these mountains! You’re one to talk, we’re only out here because you thought you saw some walking sheep thing!”

“Whatever dude. I know what I saw, and that was a walking goat with a spear. It came from over here and I am not leaving until we find it.”

Dyl nods slowly, looking over down the side of the mountain. They must have been hundreds of feet off the ground, one wrong move and this adventure would be their last. “C’mon, we both know this is crazy. Besides the thought that there are, as you said,  _ walking goats with spears _ , we’ve never gone this high before. No one uses this trail anymore, one misstep and you won’t be seeing anything anymore.”

Rolan sighs, continuing up the thin dirt path. The risk was high for sure, but he needs to know. He wasn’t crazy, he knew what he saw. “Fine. Give me another hour, and then we’ll turn around.”

“An hour!” Dyl shouts at his friend. “We left at the crack of dawn and I’m starving! Let’s go now!”

“C’mon Dyl just give me th―”

Rolan freezes mid sentence, staring up the side of the mountain. Dyl rolls his eyes. “What, give you wha… wha… oh.”

Following Rolan’s gaze was a tall figure, taller than either of the two. It slid down the rock face, standing 15 feet from the two men. Rolan slowly backs up to Dyl. “Okay… I guess you aren’t crazy, Ro.”

“Screw off.”

The figure slowly walks towards the two, the dim light from the setting sun reflecting off heavy steel armor, though the figure moved as if the armor wasn’t even there. Rolan scanned the being to make sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him. They weren’t. Underneath the heavy armor was a thick brown coat of fur, thicker than any of the wool coats he had at home. The figure hooves clacks against the stone and dirt path as he approaches the two humans. 

“Humans.” His voice could only be described as gruff, hardened by years of combative training and focus. “Leave, or perish.”

Dyl felt a shiver run down his spine. He had been mugged once before, but never had he felt so threatened by one person. “Yep. Yes. Of course. Rolan, let’s go.”

His friend stood his ground. “Not yet.”

The large goat stared down at the two humans with unflinching yellow eyes, his rectangular pupils not moving from Rolan. “You should listen to your cowardly friend, his state of mind will keep him alive.”

Rolan swallows nervously, but refuses to back down. “I saw you in our village last night. You were leaving a house with a large sack. What did you steal?”

The goat huffs once, examining the young man, before laughing loudly. Dyl and Rolan blink in disbelief as the tall warrior laughs, a mixture of bleats and snorts. Dyl laughs nervously, tugging at his friend’s coat. “So we’ve shared a laugh, had some fun, so if you’d kindly excuse us…”

The goat swings his spear at the two, the point an inch from Dyl’s nose. “To think you humans would threaten an elite Geitlan warrior. I can’t tell if I admire your courage or pity your stupidity.”

Rolan frowns. “I watched someone get robbed by a walking goat, and I just want the truth.”

The goat huffs again. “I would do no such thing, and besides, anything you humans have is worthless to me. We Geitlan are a proud people, we wouldn’t stoop to such… well human-like tendencies.”

“Okay! You’re innocent! Rolan, let’s go home and get home  _ alive _ !”

“Fine.” Rolan sighs, turning to make the long trek back down the mountain. “But the council has to hear of this.”

  
  
  


“Bronn! You’re going to be late for the ceremony!”

“I know, I know!” Bronn struggles to pull the ceremonial robe over his head, the hood snagging on the small nubs on his head he hoped one day would grow into a large pair of horns like his father. Finally pulling the large grey cloak over his head, Bronn looks out of his window of his family’s hut, watching several torches being lit to provide guiding light towards a large church carved into the cliffside of the mountain they called home. Bronn’s smile widens. “I’m so excited Momma! I can’t wait to learn what my destiny will be!”

“I know sweetie, but please focus, we only have a few minutes until we need to meet with Shun.”

“Okay!” Bronn rushes out of the tent, his hooves tapping on the hard stone pathway up to the stone church. He slowed down as he approached the first of the torches, intrigued as the flames were not normal. While the torches normally burned a soft orange, instead they glowed a brilliant silver, causing Bronn to look away. His mother chuckles. “Do you remember why the flame burns white?”

Bronn smiles. “Of course! The torch is white because I haven’t been given my place yet!”

“And what are the places you can receive?”

“There’s healer, farmer, builder, hmm…”

“What is my place, Bronn?”

“Oh! You’re a fabricator! That leaves tribesmen and… warrior…”

Bronn looks into the silver flame, thinking of his father. The best fighter and warrior in recent Geitlan history. While many of his peers were envious being the child of such a well known Geitlan, Bronn would disagree. 

His mother smiled kindly, clasping her son’s shoulder. “Hey, chin up! We must be proud today as you come of age! Your father will be there, don’t you worry.”

Bronn sighs. “That’s not it Momma… he doesn’t accept me. He just wants me to be a warrior, to be just like him… I’m not like him!”

Bronn places his hand over three scars running along his right cheek and over his eye. “I’m not like him.”

His mother scoops her son up, placing him on her shoulders. “Come, Bronn. Now isn’t the time for that, let’s celebrate your coming of age! Let’s meet up with Priest Kerrm and Shun so we can prepare for your ceremony, okay?”

“Okay…”

The two exit the small house, walking down a dirt path to the central plaza which was filled to the brim with many excited geitlan going about their day. Several stop to congratulate Bronn on his completion of his trials. He simply smiles nervously and walks past them and up a long stone pathway carved into the stone face of the mountain. After a few minutes of climbing, Bronn steps in front of a pair of massive stone doors leading directly into the cliffside. Another geitlan awaits them, his fur bright white. He scans the two with his bright pink eyes before grinning widely. “Bronn, my boy! Oh how you’ve grown!”

Bronn smiles back. “Hello, Uncle Shun!”

“Please my boy, call me Shun now.” He nods to Bronn’s mother. “I got it from here Treshri.”

She nods. “Alright, I’ll see you soon Bronn, although I suppose I won’t be talking to ‘Bronn’ anymore.”

Bronn takes a moment to watch his mother walk back down the large stairway down the mountain before turning to Shun. “What does she mean, not talking to me?”

Shun laughs. “Bronn, Bronn! Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your latures on the  _ Mat Jari Berrani _ !”

His smile fades as he examines his nephew’s blank expression. “Okay… can you tell me what  _ Mat Jari Berrani _ means at least?”

“Umm… death of a… good person?”

“Close, it translates directly to Death of the Courageous Stranger.”

Bronn gasps loudly. “I’m going to die!”

“Not physically.” An older voice cuts through the two as an elderly geitlan slowly walks up the last several stairs up the mountain. “You won’t die, Bronn.”

“Thank goodness…”

Shun bows to the old geitlan. “Priest Kerrm, you are looking well.”

“I look old, Shun,” Kerrm scoffs. “And you are both late.”

“But… Uncle and I got here before―”

“Late!” The old priest shouts, interrupting the young boy. Shun leans over Bronn. “Don’t worry about it, he’s… just very old.”

“I can still hear you!” Kerrm whacks Shun over the head with a wooden cane, causing the white geitlan to stumble back. “It’s not appropriate to speak in such a way to the elder you serve.”

Shun clenches his jaw. “Heh… of course. My apologies.”

Bronn frowns in concern, but Kerrm waves it off. “Don’t worry, young Bronn. Your Uncle just forgets his place sometimes.”

“His… place?”

“Ah, I suppose you are too young to remember it. No matter, now isn’t the time for somber reflection!”

He gestures towards the large stone doors which, as if on command, slowly swing inwards to reveal a massive room inside the mountainside. In the central part of the chamber sit several rows of benches facing a long stage. Lining the walls are massive polished stone pillars, supporting the heavy stone ceiling. Bronn couldn’t help but gawk at the size of the room, which could fit the entire village. Kerrm puts a hand on the young geitlan’s shoulder. “I understand your father won’t be here.”

“What? But… I thought he would be!”

“He said something about ‘dangers on the outskirts of the village, wanted to keep guard.’”

“I… see.”

“Come now, today isn’t a day for moping about… here, let me fully explain why this day is so important.”

Bronn frowns. “I’m coming of age. I passed the trials and will be receiving my adult name.”

Shun sits down on one of the nearby benches. “Yes and no, there’s a bit more to it.”

“Your Uncle is correct, our people pray and honor no god or deity, but the movements of the cosmos and time itself, the push towards the future every being feels. Destiny, Fate,  _ 'Azim Yadd _ . Since you have passed the trials of youth, you have proven yourself capable to pursue your destiny, and  _ ‘Azim Yadd _ will give you your place during the ceremony of  _ Mat Jari Berrani _ . It is called the Death of the Courageous Stranger because your old self, your youth, will die and be replaced with your new self, and you will be given a new name to suit your new being.”

“It’s like a… metamorphosis?”

Shun nods. “Yes, something like that.”

The priest stood up slowly. “Now then, let us prepare for young Bronn’s  _ Mat Jari Berrani _ !”

To say Bronn was nervous would be an understatement. Everyone was there, staring at him as he stood next to Kerrm and his uncle. Shun gestures to two hooded geitlan, who approach a massive steel chalice in the center of the stage. The two acolytes lower their heads, chanting a repeated phrase Bronn couldn’t understand, which definitely wasn’t in midani. He cautiously peeks over the edge of the chalice, hoping no one would notice. Inside the large steel cup was a thin grey oil, sloshing around and creating strange patterns inside the chalice.  _ There isn’t anyone moving the great chalise,  _ he thought to himself.  _ Why is the oil moving like that? _

His thoughts are interrupted by Kerrm’s booming voice. “Today is a momentous day!”

Bronn quickly pulls himself back to reality as everyone from his village cheers. He couldn’t help but smile as he saw everyone he knew smiling and cheering for him. Kerrm continued once the noise died down. “Young Bronn has passed the Trials of Youth and proven himself to  _ ‘Azim Yadd _ . Today, the one named Bronn will be shaped into his true adult form!”

The oil in the chalice ignites spontaneously, causing a torrent of white flames to blow out the top of the large goblet, and Bronn nearly stumbles back in shock as he feels the intense heat of the magical flames against his body. He looks down to the hand on his back keeping him from toppling over, noticing his uncle holding him up. “Careful, we don’t want you to be falling over now, do we?”

“Sorry…” Bronn whispers back. “It’s just a lot of pressure, I’m just nervous…”

Shun smiles. “Don’t worry, you’ve faced your trials and pushed through the hardships, this is the easy part.”

“But… I―”

Bronn is interrupted by Kerrm clearing his throat. “With the Flames of  _ ‘Azim Yaddd _ alight, I cast myself into its warmth and touch to receive the wisdom and knowledge it holds!”

With that, Kerrm approaches the white fire and plunges his two arms into the flame. Bronn swallows, as the part he was most nervous for was coming soon. Kerrm slowly opens his eyes, his yellow rectangular eyes now simply white holes of light, shining through the dim darkness of the mountain chamber. As he spoke, his raspy voice was echoed by another, one sounding more grand and great then any voice Bronn had ever heard before. Was this  _ ‘Azim Yadd _ ?

“Today we have a child, no, a true Geitlan who has endured the harshest of terrain, the strongest storms, and the mightest of foes the land could muster.” The priest slowly approaches Bronn, hands outstretched. Between his palms was the white flame, swirling and glistening with holy light. With one quick action, Kerrm flicks his wrist and the flame blasts into Bronn’s chest. “I burn your soul and your name, wiping your being clean of your past so you may write your future.”

The being that was once Bronn falls to his knees, having never before felt such a burning within him. He remembers a time when he was cooking with his mother many years ago and a droplet of scarling oil flew onto his hand. He cried for minutes on end, thinking that was the greatest pain one could feel. Trembling, he reaches up to his face, gingerly touching the four scars on his cheek. He remembers the soul piercing roar the beast made as it went in for the kill. He should have died, but fate did not deem his life worth ending yet. This fire, however, this fire burned more than any pain he felt in the past. The world spun in front of him as he felt his consciousness slip away. Perhaps if he slept, this fire would leave.

The raspy dual voice of Kerrm burns on the edges of his consciousness. “Come now. You can’t give in now. This burning you feel, it’s not just pain, is it?”

The unnamed geitlan opens his eyes. The priest was right, the fire in him burned of pain, but it also burned of passion and excitement. He stood and felt the inferno of emotions inside of him, channeling it through his arms and into his palms, the white flame alight in his hand. Kerrm smiles. “Excellent, I knew you could do it.”

The small flame flew back to Kerrm, who held it up over the large chalice. “I feel it now, the part of you absorbed into the flame. I feel the person you were and I feel the person you will become.”

Excited whispers are exchanged throughout the congrations, friends and family guessing at the name of this new geitlan. Once the room has gone silent, the priest drops the flame back into the inferno it had come from, gesturing to the unnamed being. “A new name has been chosen! The being known as Bronn is gone, he has grown into this new form.  _ ‘Azim Yadd _ has chosen...  _ Amir _ .”

The crowd erupts in cheers, jumping up in joy. Amir smiles to himself, wiping his brow.  _ Amir… _ he thought to himself.  _ The Midani word for leaf. I will be a healer! _

He looks into the crowd, smiling at some of his friends from school who flash him some waves and congratulatory smiles. His mother waves from the front of the congregation and she resonated with pure happiness and content. Amir’s smile fades as he remembers his father’s absence. While he was glad he didn’t have to see his father’s disappointment, he still wanted him to be there, to see him come of age.

After a few moments, the room calms down and goes quiet. Kerrm had long since exited his holy trance, his eyes and voice returning to normal. “Now then, my friends, I welcome Amir to the adult world. While his trials have been passed, hardship never leaves you time to breathe, such is life. However, with Amir’s consent, he may spill some blood in sacrifice to  _ ‘Azim Yadd _ , so that we may see potential hardship before it happens.”

The high priest turns to Amir. “It isn’t mandatory, nor can I guarantee it will be helpful. The path of Fate isn’t always set in rock and steel, but sometimes in clay and thought.”

Amir sighs, looking off into the far cave wall. Something had felt off about this, and if there was something coming, he wanted to know. “I will do it.”

Kerrm nods, gestures over to the blistering chalise, a small jagged dagger resting on a nearby plate wrapped in a soft cloth. “The more blood you spill, the more recent the event may be. Most only prick their finger, only spilling a drop. Be careful, Amir.”

He nods in response, slowly picking up the dagger. “The more blood I spill…” Amir swallows nervously. With a slow motion, Amir rakes the blade across his palm, a long and thin gash from below one of his four fingers to the base of his hand. A thin trickle of deep crimson blood runs down his hand, falling into the pyre below. Shun takes a few steps back off the stage, eyes glued to the fire.

Kerrm points to the two acolytes, who place their hands on the chalise while the high priest comes around, shouting more words in the ancient dialect: “ _ Akeud 'a Yadd, te Tatalla F'akuua Hazneh _ !”

The words of power echo through the hollow chamber, resonating in Amir’s very being. He wraps a bandage around his hand and stares deep into the cauldron of flame before him. The flame would change color based on what his future holds and what dangers to be aware of. The large flame would tell him what to do. The congregation looks towards the fire for what seemed like eons. However, the fire did not change color. In fact, the once brilliant white fire grew dim and dull, growing grey until the fire was extinguished, black smoke wafting out the large opening of the chalice. The room murmured in confusion and even panic.

“What happened?”

“Did we perform it wrong?”

“Is  _ ‘Azim Yadd _ angry with us?”

Kerrm flips frantically through a large spellbook, trying to determine what it meant or if something went awry. Amir paces nervously around the stage, not sure what to do with himself. Shun calls out to him. “Hey, it’s alright! Something just went wrong, we’ll figure it out!”

Amir couldn’t take it anymore, the months of holding his darkest secret taking a toll. “Kerrm! I’m sorry!”

“What? Why, Amir? I must have mixed the oils wrong, it’s alright.”

“No, you don’t get it! It’s my fault!”

The room goes silent. Kerrm slowly closes his book, laying it down on its pedestal. “How can this be your fault?”

“I… I didn’t complete my Trials!”

“You… what?!”

A loud noise breaks through the tension in the chamber, as a large geitlan had kicked open the massive stone doors. His shiny metal armor shone bright as it reflected the setting sun. Amir’s eyes go wide as his father slowly walks in the room, out of breath and bleeding. Amir’s mother was the first to react. “Sairyn! What happened?!”

He spoke slowly. “Humans… a human army is coming… five minutes time…”

The room erupts in panic and screams as the sound of a warhorn echoes from the valley. Hundreds of geitlan rushed out of the room and down the long flight of stairs down to the village. Several trip and fall off of the large clifface to their death. Amir managed to stay in the far corner of the room and away from the panicked villagers. One of the acolytes rushes over to him, grabbing him by the collar and seething with rage. “You did this! You lied about your Trials and this is our punishment! You… you’re a  _ Muhajid _ !”

Kerrm rushes to pull the furious acolyte off. “Get off him! There is no time to blame, we must protect our land now!”

Amir falls to his knees. Muhajid, blasphemous or unenlightened; one of the worst insults and terms one could receive. Was this his fault? This was too much, everything happening it was too much. Amir collapses, blacking out.

“Rolan… are you sure this is the right thing to do?”

Dyl walks next to his friend as they pass over one of the large hills. Rolan nods. “The council decided that we should eliminate this threat before they turn on us. If these warrior-goats exist, they are a threat to us.”

Dyl sighs. “Yeah but… we weren’t threatened.”

“What are you talking about?” Rolan laughs. “You looked like you were going to crap yourself if that goat got any closer!”

“Ugh, nevermind…” Dyl crosses his arms in annoyance, looking out to the small army the city has sent. Nearly 200 men to overpower these ‘monsters’. “Are they even monsters?”

One of the soldiers laughs, elbowing another soldier in the gut. “Told you ol’ Dyl-weed was going to pussy out when things got tough, you owe me 20 silver pieces.”

The other soldier clutches his stomach where he was hit. “Ugh… fine.”

Dyl clenches his jaw. “I am not  _ pussying out _ , I’m simply pointing out that I think we might be overreacting! And stop calling me that!”

The first soldier laughs, brushing his long blonde hair out of his face. “When you actually amount to something, then you can start telling people what to do.”

Rolan glares at the soldier. “Keep talkin’ like that and these goats won’t be the thing that should be worrying you, Daniel.”

“Oh yeah? It’s like you to step in when Dyl-weed gets in over his head.”

A third soldier catches up to the four. “Hey! Kon, Daniel, if I see you two trading any more coin again, you’ll  _ both _ be sharpening blades for the next few days, got it?”

Kon and Daniel straighten. “Yes sir! Sorry sir!”

Dyl leans over to Rolan. “Who’s that?”

“Captain of this battalion, Captain Trenage.”

“Oh.”

The captain moves back in line. “And if I see any more infighting,  _ I’ll _ be the thing you’ll have to worry most of all.”

Dyl sighs. “Sorry Rolan, you’re always having to step in when I’m being stupid…”

Rolan nudges him. “C’mon, Dyl. You aren’t stupid, cowardly maybe…”

“Ugh…”

“But I agree with you, the council was quick to call a strike. It’s strange, and these geitlan seem to be sentient creatures. I have been putting a lot of thought into whether this is the right choice, but there isn’t anything to be done now.”

A voice came from the front. “There! In the valley!”

Rolan and Dyl look up to see a large valley before them. Beautiful greenery covers the mountainsides coming down to a thin river below. Jutting out from the side of the mountain was a sheet of rock denser than the surrounding stone, and after years of erosion had left a flat plane of dirt where a village was built. It looked small, quaint. Dyl swallows his fear and looks over to Rolan, who seemed to be thinking the same thing: “They look harmless.”

Trenage steps out of line, stopping the full army. “Listen up! We’ve been commanded to take out everything down there. Records show these creatures to be warriors, using primitive stone and bronze weaponry. Despite this, the council has deemed them too much of a danger to not be dealt with, as we already have cases of their kind stealing and killing in our city!”

Soldiers yell and hollers in disgust. Rolan crosses his arms. “Murder? We only saw one robbery… something isn’t right.”

The captain continues, “Yesterday we captured a sentinel geitlan and interrogated him. It put up a hard fight, however he escaped, however his trail of blood led us right to them!”

Dyl felt his heart drop. “Sentinel geitlan… could it be…”

Rolan nods slowly. “The one we met.”

“You have 2 minutes to prepare, and then we attack!”

  
  


Amir woke up to the sounds of screaming and the smell of smoke. He was in his home, but something was wrong. It hit him like a bag of clay. “The humans!”

He ran outside to see his village in flames. Not the brilliant white fire of the chalice, but the harsh orange pyre that billows suffocating black smoke. He looks frantically around, noticing the tall humanoids that shone brilliantly like his father’s sword. “Humans…”

Amir had only heard of other races in stories, but these humans fit the bill of what he was told. Tall, hairless, and merciless. Slowly crumbling to the ground in shock, he watches friends, family, and even strangers he saw on the streets cut down like animals. He barely notices when a soldier walks up to him, brandishing a long curved sword. His mind snaps back into reality when he hears a quick crunch. A spearhead was only a foot from his face, as it had effortlessly punched through the man’s armor and flesh. The soldier looks at Amir, fear in his eyes, and he collapses, dead. Amir’s father steps over the corpse, pulling his spear out from the body. “Son! We must go, now!”

“W-What?”

His body shakes, the terror setting in. He finally understands, the full scope of the situation dawning to him. He grasps his chest, trying not to vomit. Sairyn grabs his son, slinging him over his shoulder. “We’re going to find your mother.”

Everything is a blur. Amir barely notices his schoolmates being cut down by these men. He barely sees his mentors, friends, and neighbors being slaughtered by the soldiers. He barely comprehends his school, home, and every other building burning to the ground. Suddenly, he snaps back out of his trance after a slap to the face. His father’s gruff face stares at him. “Snap out of it! Now isn’t the time for weakness!”

His mother runs out from behind Sairyn. “We have to leave now Sairyn! The town is lost!”

“I am a warrior and a guardian, Treshri! I will not abandon our home now!”

“You will die! We have to save him! We have to―”

The world freezes as Amir watches the arrow pierce his mother’s heart. Everything around him is frozen, and he doesn’t know what to do. He can’t stand, fight, or even scream. He just watches and prays.

“Treshri!” Sairyn dashes past her, dispatching the archer who had fired the arrow. He dashes back to catch his wife. “Treshri, stay with me.” 

She doesn’t answer. She just stares, gazing with her lifeless eyes into Amir’s soul. “Damn it… damn it all!”

Sairyn grabs Amir and runs towards the stairway. “You… I have to get you to the chamber, you’ll be safe there.”

He jumps up the stairway, each step of his hoof shaking the ground beneath him before bounding up seven more stairs. Suddenly, he stops. Amir slowly regains his bearings. “Father? What happened? What…”

Sairyn takes a few more steps before falling. The world spins as Amir’s head hits the stone and he slowly sees the many arrows protruding from his father’s back. A trail of blood runs down the stairway. He had carried him while being bombarded by arrows. He sees two figures running up the stairs. Humans. The taller one approaches Sairyn, who growls angrily. “You… you called them here…”

Tears ran down the tall man's face. “They… the council chose to attack, even when I told them you were no threat…”

The shorter one ran to the fallen geitlan’s side. “Hold on! I think I can heal this…”

Amir backs up slowly, reaching for his father’s dropped sword. “You… stay away!”

Rolan looks up at Amir. “Your child?”

Sairyn nods. “Damn… it all… take him.”

“What?”

“Take my son… to the chamber… keep him safe…”

Dyl slams his fist into the stone. “No! We won’t leave you here, it’s our fault isn’t it?!”

The warrior shakes his head. “It’s too late for me…”

Amir drops the sword, running to his father. “No… no! Don’t go! Don’t go like Momma did!”

Sairyn slowly looks up to his son. “Son… Amir. People will say this was your fault… but this is what  _ ‘Azim Yadd _ wills life to be. Don’t let your fate… match… mine…”

His eyes slowly close as life fades from his body. Amir grabs his father’s face. “No… no!”

Dyl looks away, trying to keep himself steady. Rolan grabs Amir. “Let’s go.”

Amir flails in the human’s hand. “No! Let me go!”

Rolan angrily sets Amir down in front of him. “Listen kid! If you flail you’re going to fall off, and we all want to survive. We only have each other now!”

Amir doesn’t want to be with these humans, the ones who killed everyone he knew. But he doesn’t have a choice. He nods, turning to run up the steps, the two humans close behind him. 

Dyl gasps for air. “How long are these stairs!”

Rolan clenches his jaw. “Almost… there!”

The three approach the open stone doors. “Alright kid, you’ll be safe here.”

“Well now, what is this?”

Daniel walks out from the cave, a bloodied sword in his left hand. “I knew you were cowards, but insubordination?”

Rolan steps out in front. “Daniel! You would kill a child?”

“A child?” Daniel laughs. “Children are people, these? These things are monsters.”

Dyl steps past Rolan, clutching his sword. “I… I can’t let you do this.”

Daniel stops laughing. “So… you really want to try to amount to something?”

Dyl yells, charging Daniel and swinging his sword wildly. Daniel easily parries, dodging each strike before turning to run his blade across either side of Dyl’s body. “Unfortunately, you didn’t amount to very much.”

Amir didn’t know these people and they came with the army that slaughtered his family and friends, but he knew this wasn’t right. He hated senseless violence, and this blind killing of his people, he hated this most of all. He runs and jumps over Rolan, his strong legs allowing him to easily leap over the tall man, landing in front of Daniel. Charging straight forward, Amir slams his hard head into the man, forcing him back. Daniel stumbles back. “Fuck… damn you!”

He slashes down at Amir, bur Rolan jumps in front, blocking the attack with a small leather shield. Amir jumps to the side, turning to kick the soldier in the gut with his powerful legs. Daniel falls back, coughing up blood. “You… disgusting goat!”

Daniel rushes to the side, kicking Rolan down to the ground, turning to Amir. “You are just animals, creatures to be culled!”

Amir stumbles back against the hard cave wall as Daniel inches forward. “You… you are beneath me!”

The last thing Amir saw as Daniel’s blade cut through his torso was Rolan charging towards him and a bright light overwhelming the army below him.


	2. A Godly Scapegoat

Darkness everywhere. Amir couldn’t see, hear, or feel anything; he could only exist in the void, shapeless and immaterial. How was he thinking at all? Was this even him thinking this? These ideas and questions floating in the sea of entropy, who was this? No, he knew he was himself, he had to be. But what is this place? The Afterlife? And was this it? Amir had to admit, this wasn’t quite what he expected, as the priests made the afterlife sound so glorious. An eternity with ‘ _ Azim Yadd _ in the realms above.

Perhaps they were wrong and this nothingness is simply all there is. Something didn’t feel quite right, however. If there was nothing, how did he know it was nothing? Surely if death was true nothingness he wouldn’t be here thinking about it, right? The thought hurt Amir’s head and he reached up to rub his temples. 

_ Wait… _ he thinks to himself.  _ My hand… my body? _

He looks down and sure enough he sees his skinny body, from his horns to his hooves. He feels his face and torso to make sure he is really there. Opening his mouth to call into the empty space surrounding him, he finds the words he wanted to speak don’t leave his mouth.

_What is going on?_ _Am I actually dead? I don’t remember what happened…_

Only a few feet in front of the confused geitlan a blast of light appears, causing Amir to jerk his head away from the blinding explosion. After a few moments, Amir slowly takes his hands away from his face, turning his head back to where the brilliant light was. Floating alongside him is a point of light, dim and small. Amir stares in wonder, as the light has no form or shape. It is simply a point, as if reality was a sheet of cloth in front of a torch and someone had pricked a hole in the cloth with a needle. Amir doesn’t know why or how, but he knows this light was important and instinctively reaches out to gently pull the point towards him. A shiver goes down his spine, noticing how cold it is.

The point of light flickered, dimming again. Amir brings the point near his heart, curling up around the point to keep it safe. It is cold and dying. Amir smiles weakly, words quietly escaping his mouth. “You’re… like me, you know? Maybe… if we stay together… we can be safe…”

As if in response, the point flickers, dimming and brightening in a quick succession. Amir felt the point’s emotions flow through him, and it they familiar: overwhelming panic and crushing fear.

“Hey, hey! It’ll be okay! I have you. We’re okay.”

The light’s flickering calms, settling on slowly dimming and brightening. Amir smiles, wondering if the changing in brightness was like its way of breathing. “There we go, nice and calm. Do you have a name?”

The light floats away from Amir to face him, swaying side to side as if it is deep in thought. It dims slowly, not having an answer. Amir smiles. “It’s okay! You don’t need a name, I suppose. I just got my name, before I died. Although, with everything that happened afterwards, I wonder if that is my name after all…”

The dot of light pauses its rhythmic pulsing for a moment, confused. Amir frowns. “You… don’t understand what being dead is? You know, like when something isn’t alive.”

The light tilts itself in further confusion, or at least it would have if it had a form. Amir thinks for a moment before continuing. “Kerry told me that life is the way the world learns. If you think of everything there ever was as a living person, then we are its eyes, ears, and mouth. We learn everything we can about the world so it may know itself. But we don’t last forever, so when our body stops working, we don’t exist anymore. We have passed, or are gone. Dead.”

Amir smiles to himself, proud of his explanation and its thoroughness. Kerrm and Shun would be proud of him, if they were alive. A tear rolls down his cheek, his throat choking on the sadness filling his body as he remembers his fallen friends and family. “They… they’re really gone…”

Without gravity, Amir’s tears gather in large droplets on his eyes before floating out in front of him in perfect spheres. He wraps his arms around his legs, pulling them into his body and hiding his face between his knees. His back and chest convulse softly as he cries. “They're all gone… Momma… Dad… Shun… it’s all my fault…”

He grips his legs as hard as he can, the guilt and grief building inside of him. “I lied… I didn’t complete my trials and so they all died…  _ ‘Azim Yadd _ chose this to be my fate for killing everyone!!”

Amir’s eyes flew open, a sharp feeling shooting through his body. Tilting his head, he looks down to look at his leg, which had small crimson spheres floating off of it. He was confused for a moment before realizing what he was feeling: pain. His fingernails had pierced his hide and a few small droplets of blood seeped from his skin. In the vacuum of the void, the pain was almost soothing, a shining feeling in the sea of emptiness. The point of light races around Amir, flashing in shock and concern, stopping next to the shallow wound. “Hey, I’m okay, just got a little emotional. It’ll heal.”

The light shifts to a reddish hue and dances around quickly in frustration. It inches closer to the wound and Amir winces from the heat of the point. He is surprised, as even though it is so small it burns like the sun. The point pauses inches from Amir’s skin and glows brighter, a soothing hum emanating from it. The wound burns like fire for a few moments before closing, the flesh healing as if the cut had never been there. Amir is astonished, grabbing the point and hugging it tightly. “That was amazing! Thank you so much, it feels as good as new!”

The light turns a light shade of green, humming lightly in contentment. Amir lets go, and it floats a foot back. “How did you even do that? Was it magic?”

After a few moments of silence, Amir sighs. “I guess you don’t know, do you… I suppose as you were just created you have a lot to learn about yourself.”

The point’s humming lowers in pitch and it turns a light shade of blue, understanding that it doesn’t know what it is or how it came to be. Something about this reaction doesn’t feel right to Amir. He had heard of creatures created from magic, magical constructs as Kerrm called them. They didn’t feel or live, they just existed. However this infinitesimal pocket of light isn't like that. It is alive, containing and expressing just as much emotion as himself. He can’t keep calling it a point or a light; it is a living, feeling being now. It needs a name. Amir smiles down at the point. “You know, my people had a ritual that after you came of age and proved yourself to the world that you have a place in it, you received your name.”

The light was curious, as the concept of a name was foreign to it. “Just as objects have a word to show that they are what they are, a person’s name is a word or variation on a word that describes you,” Amir continues, “People are more than objects, however they can have traits may remind you of a particular thing. My adult name is Amir, or tree in the old tongue, showing that I am strong and not easy to move when I am motivated. If you would like, I could give you a name.”

The light turns a bright pink, racing around Amir’s body in excitement as it happily agrees. Amir laughs to himself at the reaction of his friend, remembering how excited he was when he felt when he received his name. But what name describes this light? It seemed to be impulsive and emotional, quick to aid and use its power. It couldn’t stand to see him hurt, even if the wound was minor. “I got it!” he exclaims. “It’s a word that represents your strong will and focus towards good.  _ Jaridot _ , translating roughly to strong and courageous in the old tongue. Do you like it?”

Jaridot glows a bright yellow-green in excitement and happiness, clearly enjoying its new name. It hums lightly, floating from side to side. Amir laughs, glad that it enjoyed the name. He wasn’t completely sure that what he said was true about its name translation, as he wasn’t very fluent in Madani. Either way, he didn’t really care as he felt the name suited his new friend. “I’m so glad you like it! Now then, Jaridot, do you think we could figure out where we are?”

Jaridot hums softly in contemplation, before emitting a sound similar to a small bell. It zips off to the left quickly, leaving Amir confused. “Jaridot! Wait! How does it move so fast…”

He tries to catch up with the small light, however no matter how quickly Amir moves his legs he simply stays in the same spot.  _ C’mon… think…  _ Amir thinks to himself, squeezing his eyes shut.  _ Figure it out… just figure out how to move over to Jaridot. _

In that moment, Amir feels his body lurch forward as he floats in the direction of Jaridot. “To move in this place, I just need to think! This just gets stranger and stranger…,” he exclaims in astonishment. “I guess I need to think harder…”

Concentration proved more difficult for Amir than he first envisioned, finding his hyperactive and anxious mind focusing more on where Jaridot rushed off to and the existential crisis of what had transpired in the last day than simply moving in the void. He thinks hard, pushing all thoughts and feeling out of his head, focusing strictly on finding Jaridot. In his trance he feels his speed pick up, his body gliding faster and faster in the void. It is a strange feeling, as the only way he can tell he is moving and picking up speed is the sensation of the will of his mind pulling his body through the emptiness. After a few moments the faint light of Jaridot catches Amir’s eyes, growing in brightness until he finally reaches it.

“Jaridot! You can’t just run off like that! What if I couldn’t come find you? I would have been stuck!”

Jaridot hums quietly, its light shrinking and glowing a faint blue in apology. Amir sighs. “It’s okay… let’s just stick together from now on. Why did you bring me here? This part of the void doesn’t seem much different than anything else we’ve seen.”

Jaridot quick returns to its normal brightness and energy, zipping around Amir trying to convey something. The young geitlan was having trouble understanding what it meant, as he felt the basic emotions it was feeling: happiness, contentment, and excitement. He wasn’t sure what the big idea was, why it was feeling those things. He felt the pieces in his head, he just couldn’t seem to get them to form together. “You… feel something? Something here?” He asks. “Something… familiar? Like yourself?”

Jaridot flashes a bright yellow, the light much brighter than anything it had shown before. It takes Amir a few seconds to realize that the light isn’t just from Jaridot, but from another individual. The light swirls around the two, coalescing into a being, humanoid in shape. Amir swallows, recognizing the shape matching the humans that killed his village. The being finally stands, its height reaching nearly 9 feet tall. While Amir thinks its form looks female, he honestly can’t say for sure, for as soon as he came to a definite idea on what the being’s form was it seemed to warp into something else. “You…” it spoke, “What are you?”

Amir wrings his hands nervously. “I… I am just a geitlan. We are lost, we don’t know where we are.”

“We?” The glowing head of the creature turns to Jaridot. “Ah, ‘we’. I see.”

“Please, tell us where we are! We just want to leave…”

The being thinks for a moment, before raising its hand towards Amir. “I understand now, you are where you shouldn’t be. Allow me to right this…  _ mistake _ .”

The being’s hand starts to radiate pure energy, which forms a three-pointed star, two points extending diagonally to the left and right with the final point shooting straight down. Amir’s eyes go wide as he tries his best to back up, flailing around in the effort. The large being seems to smile, looking down on Amir. “I know not how your kind made it here, but it does not matter. Do not move.”

Jaridot rushes in front of Amir, between him and the god-like being. “S-S… S… Stop!”

Jaridot’s voice rings out in the void. Amir is surprised at the sound, as it is quite female in tone, which caught Amir off guard as he didn’t think it would be male or female. Its voice is strong and a little higher in pitch, reminding him of how his mother sounded when she would scold him. The being is caught off guard as well, but its hand does not waver. “You speak? Intriguing.”

“I… I speak!” Jaridot spoke quickly, large breaks between its words as if it had trouble finding them. “Don’t… don’t hurt!”

Hesitantly, the figure lowers its hand. It looks between the two with a troubled expression. “I… do not understand what is happening here.” It points to Amir. “You shouldn’t exist here, you should be much further below. And you…”

It looks to Jaridot. “...you shouldn’t be awake.”

Jaridot moves back to Amir, scared. “Hmm… wait… that aura… you didn’t come here on your own wishes, did you?”

Amir swallows nervously. “What… what do you mean?”

The being looks directly at Amir, its eyes blazing with holy fire. “Your physical form perished. Your soul… He brought you here.”

Jaridot’s voice chimes in again. “Who? Why… angry?”

The being raises both of its hands at the two, the three-pointed star forming again. “I was correct earlier, you are both mistakes. As creations of Him, you are both unfit to exist. Prepare for annihilation.”

Amir feels his body shake in fear, the words of the being of light setting in. When he was killed, he felt the emotions of the blonde-haired man just as much as his blade. The man believed that his people were monsters to be culled, and while it pained him that everyone he knew was gone, he could understand why the man killed him. But this creature, it had no such thing. It looked at him and wanted him dead for reasons he didn’t even understand. He had been scared when he was killed, but this terrified him. Before he could say something in response to the light’s threat, another voice rang through the void:

“Well now, I don’t think you can do that.”

The light pauses its assault and the fire from its outstretched hands dissipates. “You have no jurisdiction here. Leave, or share in the retribution of these trespassers.”

The man laughs loudly, walking to the three. “You’re so funny, C! You think you can just obliterate people left and right!”

His laughter subsides and he looks closer at the being of light. “Wait, it’s not you directly, is it C? This a new one?”

Jaridot turns a bright red. “What is happening?!” it yells angrily. “Who are you?!”

The man ignores it, simply looking at the large being. “It looks more capable than the girl, or has that not happened yet…”

“As stated, you have no jurisdiction here. Leave.”

“Or what? Destruction? You are  _ literally _ incapable of it. As for jurisdiction…” The man gestures to Amir and Jaridot, his expression turning serious. “These are as much ‘me’ as that glowy puppet you control is you, C. So please, don’t lecture me on justriction.”

Amir slowly reaches out and pulls Jaridot closer to him, watching the man and the light stare each other down. He didn’t know what was happening, but he knew he was scared and Jaridot was the only one he could count on. In response, Jaridot’s crimson shade lessens, settling on a soft pink. Finally, the massive light being speaks. “Fine, I will excuse this mishap if you take your… units out of here.”

The man smiles, turning to face Amir and Jaridot. “You are as gracious as usual! Then we shall be on our―”

“However.” The being interrupts, pointing to Amir. “He stays.”

Amir’s face goes white. “W-Wha… M-Me?”

“No! Friend... comes!” Jaridot yells to the best of her ability. “He… comes!!”

The man crosses his arms. “C’mon, can’t you give me this?”

“No. The point… You can have that… mistake. This unit stays with me.”

“And if I say no?”

“Then I get less, as you say, gracious.”

The man finally looks at Amir. “Don’t worry, kid. I got this.”

Amir nods, unsure what else to do. The man turns again to face the creature. “Alright, fine, you caught me. I suppose this isn’t a normal unit of yours.”

“As I suspected, and as my unit I have full ownership of it.”

“Yes, I suppose you are right.”

Amir springs up. “Wait a moment!”

The man turns angrily, desperation on his face. The confusion and terror Amir felt fades as he realizes that this man has a plan. The man turns back. “Normally you do have complete jurisdiction, however he is not completely your creation, now is he?”

The light turns its head in confusion. “Explain yourself.”

“Well, his existence ended, did it not? He moved on to the next stage in his level. When he did that, he rose to a higher level, did he not?”

“Yes, yes. Don’t waste time with this trivial nonsense.”

Amir is completely lost. “Trivial...?”

The man continues. “When he rose to a higher level, his fate was controlled by higher beings. Therefore, to be brought to the highest level would leave you as the sole individual in control, right?”

“Yes, what are you getting at Trav―”

“Where are we?”

The light gives a confused look to the man. “Excuse me?”

“Where are we?”

“We are located in the Border Paradox, but I fail to see…”

The being trails off, coming to a conclusion. The man laughs loudly at the discomfort of the light. “We are in The Outside! Beyond the levels of reality and beyond your jurisdiction! A unit would never come here, so why fight to keep control here? But here they are!”

The light for the first time looks genuinely angry, glaring down at the man. “You… brought them here for this very reason, didn’t you?”

The man stops laughing, turning and grabbing Amir’s wrist. “Time to go.”

Amir looks quickly between the man and the light, nodding and grabbing Jaridot. The light rises, straightening to tower over the three. “This will not go unnoticed. Once the transfer is done, this squabble will be over.”

With a wave of his hand, his fingers cut through an unseen barrier causing a vertical slit to appear in front of them. The man quickly walks forward and reaches inside the slit, pulling open a hole. “Get in, kid.” He gestures to Amir. “We need to get out of here.”

Amir nods slowly, slowly floating over to the tear but pauses right before moving through. “Will… will Jaridot be okay?”

He frowns, looking at Jaridot. “I’ll figure it out, but it should be fine, we just need to leave before something… rash happens.”

“But…”

“No buts!”

The man pulls his hands back and the hole moves back, swallowing up the three and Amir is once again plunged into darkness. However, this darkness feels tangible, more real then the pure nothing he felt in the void. It was strange, Amir thought, that the darkness and emptiness he was once afraid of when he was younger now felt more real to him than his hooves.

When he opens his eyes, Amir quickly sits up in bed. He was in his small room. He rubs his eyes and yawns. “Momma? I just had the strangest dream… there was a man and…”

Trailing off, he turns his head to see the man standing in the far corner of his room where his door would have been. He moves his hands through the air as if he is molding something out of clay. Sensing his gaze, the man turns to Amir. “Oh, awake are we? Sorry if it looks a little empty, I pulled what I could but pulling you caused a ripple that made the stream unclear.”

“I… what? Where is my mom? Who are you?”

“Don’t tell me you forgot? That dream was a little more real than you think.”

Amir blinks a few times, the memory coming back to him. “Oh… then… wait, that doesn’t answer anything! What’s going on? Who are you? What was that thing? Where’s Jaridot?!”

The man frowns. “Well, you just woke up, that was a construct made of thoughts and energy, and your friend is fine.”

Amir continues to stare at the man in confusion and fear. He sighs. “And as for who I am, you can call me Traveller.”

Amir nods. “Okay… Traveller then, what happened? Everyone else is dead, but why am I not?” Large tears start to form in his eyes. “Did I do this? Did Fate punish me by killing them all? Is this my punishment?!”

Traveller frowns. “Hey now, let’s not get worked up.”

He walks over, wrapping a blanket around the young boy. “Without confusing you and making your head explode, let me just say you did die. When your people die, they ascend to a realm that has the same moral alignment as you, if you live life doing good by following the law you will reach an afterlife in a realm that is a physical manifestation of lawful goodness. If you were evil and followed no laws, you went to an evil and chaotic place. These ‘planes’ exist in a sort of higher existence than where you lived your life.”

“Now, for why you were in the Border Paradox, that is my doing. When you died I pulled what can only be described as the very essence of yourself higher and higher until you reached a place higher than the rules that govern reality. Beyond even the level of the plane where your people are now in their afterlife. You were in the void I refer to the Outside, the border to a realm where the possible is left behind and only the impossible remains.”

Amir nods slowly. “This… hurts my head… so there is an afterlife? My people were correct?”

Traveller laughs. “Well, yes. In your world, that is how it works. In other realities, death and souls work a little bit differently. And don’t worry too much about wrapping your head around everything, it’s hard for most units to understand.”

“Units…” Amir remembers the large light being calling him that. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, right. It’s the term we use to describe… well I don’t want to say lower lifeforms, but consciousnesses that exist on lower dimensionalities. You are all the basic consciousnesses, lives who exist on the lowest dimensions. Life’s base form if you will. A unit of life.”

“Okay… I just have so many questions.”

“I know.” Traveller stands and stretches. “That’s why you get one more question, I can’t have you learning everything.”

“One more…” Amir looks to his feet. He had to make sure this question was the right one to answer. He had so many: What is Jaridot? Can he see his parents? Who exactly was the being of light? Finally he settled on a question. “Why did you save me from death?”

Traveller smiles. “Going for the big questions, then? Unfortunately, that’s a question I can’t fully answer yet.”

“Oh…” Amir replies sadly.

Traveller sighs. “Don’t give me that, fine. But buckle up, this one is a doozy.”

He stands, extending his hands outwards. In his hands was what looked to be like a bubble. “This is your universe, everything most of your kind will ever see. Your scientists and scholars refer to it as the Prime Material Plane, planes being the same as a dimension or reality.”

The image zooms out to show two bubbles interlocking with the first one to form a small chain. Surrounding the three were four more bubbles. Beyond even those were 16 other bubbles in a circle. “This is your multiverse, a collection of local universes. The two mirroring the Prime are in the same dimensionality as your own, think of them like mirror images. The four outside of that are one higher in dimensionality, and those sixteen beyond that are one higher then the four. Those are high enough that they stop representing the physical and start representing ideas. Here you will have a universe that would be the embodiment of chaos, or somewhere that is so good that you couldn’t leave once you entered, places of absolute chaos or absolute goodness.”

“Now beyond your multiverse is what the locals call the Interdimensional Void, or IV. Nasty place. However, in the IV are countless other multiverses, an infinite amount. To understand, think of any idea or any work of fiction. There is a multiverse and universe where that fiction is nonfiction. The IV and those infinite multiverses are contained by the Omniverse, the absolute collection of everything that is. Keep in mind that I brought you just beyond the edge of the Omniverse, the Border Paradox.”

Amir frowns, but nods, somewhat understanding. It seemed likely, reality existing in shells and layers, each holding more power over the ones below it. “But that doesn’t answer my question.”

“Getting to that, you remind me of another kid I found. Nearly blasted himself into the Beyond… Anyways, to make this not drag out, there used to be Nothing. However, two powerful and omnipotent gods came out from this Nothing representing two cosmic constants; beginning and end, light and dark, creation and destruction. The one of light, Creator, wanted full dominion over all things, so it created the Omniverse and doubled it’s power. The one of darkness, Destroyer, didn’t take too kindly to this and tried to obliterate all of creation to bring back a balance of power. This didn’t work, and after eons of trying and failing, it has had enough. I think both gods are planning something, and when their plans unfold, well, everything you know, could know, and never will know may be in jeopardy.”

Amir didn’t know what to say. Everything that could ever be, all of it is in danger? “What does that have to do with me?”

Traveller laughs, a portal opening next to him. “Everything. You and five other individuals will be my champions to keep all realities safe. That is why I saved you.”

Amir stands quickly. “Wait, wait! You can’t just drop that on me and run!”

Looking around, he suddenly notices a distinct lack of the Traveller, save for a slip of paper labeled ‘Watch Me’. Amir sighs and picks up the note, turning it over to find a message on the back: “Hey kid. If you head back to sleep in the bed, you will wake up back in your own reality. You won’t be in your village, I’m dropping you somewhere that can help you in the future. Your friend will be there too.”

Sitting down in his bed, Amir simply let his mind linger on everything that he learned today. “Cosmic beings, higher powers of higher powers, the afterlife! If I wake up and it’s a dream I won’t be surprised…”

Looking back at the note, he notices more texts on the bottom he missed: “P.S. I remember your culture was big on changing names as you change. From experience, when you experience higher levels of reality, you really change. Since you are unhappy with your recent past, perhaps you could find a new name for yourself and start over. ~T”

A new name. He had to admit, Amir felt strange to him, as if he was talking about a brother and not himself. He didn’t deserve one, not the one Kerrm had given him at least. He needed a new name, but what? The word ‘hero’ stuck in his head. Was he really going to be a savior of everything there ever is and will be? If he was, his name had to be one of a hero. Suddenly, the story of a great geitlan that saved his home city from a hoard of demons spilling from another plane. He became king and ushered in a time of unknown peace. The words of the hero stuck with the young geitlan:  _ Fight not for yourself, but for those at home who cannot _ . That was a cause he believed in. And fighting an overwhelming, extradimensional threat? Sounded like what Traveller talked about. It was perfect, the name of the Hero King. He smiles, laying down into bed, letting sleep take him, whispering his new identity to himself: “I am Deimos.”


End file.
